Sure. It helps. One of the things NASA considered was Shuttle-C, a cargo varient of the space shuttle system, which would have given NASA a way to tinker on the

Sure. It helps. One of the things NASA considered was Shuttle-C, a cargo varient of the space shuttle system, which would have given NASA a way to tinker on the engine /SRB stack without crew onboard. Of course, that would not have saved columbia (the orbiter itself was the problem). This stuff is called rocket science for a reason.